The legislature’s Transportation Committee held a public hearing this week on a proposal to repeal a law allowing the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver licenses for driving purposes only to undocumented individuals.

I oppose House Bill 5180 – because this law has been working and there is no need to repeal it.

Since the law was enacted, the DMV has issued nearly 28,000 licenses and 34,000 learner’s permits, which has resulted in increased revenue for the state, not only through license fees, but through registrations and insurance coverage, making our roads and highways safer than before. And it is important to note there isn’t any reported case of someone trying to use a drive-only license to vote illegally in CT.

Repealing this existing law would be detrimental to local businesses as well. We have been successful at getting many of the hardworking undocumented individuals out of the shadows and complying with our laws.

Some may believe that this is about immigration policy. However, that’s a much more complex issue that a driver’s only license will not address. The immigration debate does not belong in the Transportation Committee.

I look forward to learning more about the fate of this proposal and keeping this sound policy in place that has kept our roads and streets safer.